James Harvey wrote:The 2012 slate of titles for the acclaimed DC Universe Animated Original Movie line were revealed Friday night, July 22nd, at San Diego Comic-Con 2011.

During a discussion panel following the San Diego Comic-Con 2011 debut of Batman: Year One, the next entry in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie line coming to Blu-ray and DVD October 18th, 2011, executive producer Bruce Timm revealed the slate of animated titles to be released in 2012 from the Warner Home Video series. The 2012 DC Universe Animated Original Movie titles will feature a string of adaptations of acclaimed and popular works from DC Comics history.

The previously-announced Justice League: Doom is slated to be the first DC Universe Animated Original Movie title released in 2012. The animated movie, written by the late Dwayne McDuffie, is set to be a loose adaptation of the fan-favorite JLA: Tower of Babe storyline written by Mark Waid.

Set for a mid-2012 release is Superman Versus The Elite. No official details on this animated feature have been released at this time, though some speculate the movie will be based on the acclaimed one-shot Superman: What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way, originally published in Action Comics #775.

Lastly, the DC Universe Animated Original Movie line will tackle its first two-part release with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. The two-part animated feature adapts the acclaimed, popular comic mini-series of the same name by Frank Miller. Both parts are expected to be released within the 2012 calendar year, likely to tie into both the theatrical and home video release of the upcoming live-action film The Dark Knight Rises, but that is currently unconfirmed.

According to executive producer Bruce Timm, he states the two-part Batman: The Dark Knight Returns animated feature will be very faithful to the source material. The above details were revealed during discussion panel following the San Diego Comic-Con debut of Batman: Year One on Friday, July 22nd, 2011.

Jim Harvey wrote:Actress Molly Quinn, currently starring in the procedural television drama Castle, announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 that she will be voicing the character of Supergirl in an upcoming animated feature. The animated feature will be part of the ongoing DC Comics Premiere Movie line released through Warner Home Video. While the studio has yet to make any official announcement on the project, the actress revealed her role will be part of an animated feature adapting the recent Superman: Brainiac story-line published by DC Comics.

As described by DC Comics, Superman: Brainiac is a “hard-hitting story that revitalized one of Superman’s greatest foes – and brought the bottle city of Kandor to Earth.”

This animated feature, currently untitled, joins the 2013 slate of DC Comics Premiere Movie releases scheduled to include Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two and a third as-of-yet untitled and unrevealed animated feature. While not confirmed, it has been reported the third 2013 title in the DC Comics Premiere Movie line will be Justice League: Flashpoint, with Kevin Conroy voicing the role of Batman, but Warner Home Video has yet to confirm any upcoming title beyond the two part Batman: The Dark Knight Returns adaptation.

Comic-Con International was held this past weekend at the San Diego Convention Center – from July 12th to 15th, 2012. The annual event focuses on host of different genres and pop culture events, including substantial announcements on theatrical films, animated features, and comic book projects. A break from recent years, Warner Home Video did not present a dedicated panel for the DC Comics Premiere Movie line.

Warner Home Video is expected to announce upcoming titles in the DC Comics Premiere Movie line, including details for the highly-anticipated Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part One home video release. The DC Comics Premiere Movie line is a co-production between Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. Stay tuned for further updates – including exclusive content and more – here soon at The World’s Finest.

DAVID LIEBERMAN wrote:The studio decided to shutter Warner Premiere early this summer, and most of its fewer-than-10 employees have already been given other jobs. But it will “continue and complete production on its remaining film and digital series project into the Fall,” the company says. Warner Premiere was created in 2006 but became superfluous as the direct-to-video market diminished. Its titles have included Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove, Ace Ventura Jr. — Pet Detective, and The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007). Warner says that “the evaluation of potential digital content will be folded into Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, and Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video will continue to produce and release animated films, such as Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry and DC Universe.”

Jim Harvey wrote:Warner Home Video has released details on the 2013 line-up of titles in the acclaimed DC Universe Animated Original Movie line at the 2012 New York City Comic-Con, with new titles featuring Superman and the Justice League. A co-production of Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the DC Universe Animated Original Movie line adapts classic stores from DC Comics lore mixed with new content. At least three new titles are released a year since the line’s inception in 2007.

Executive producer Bruce Timm, dialogue/casting director Andrea Romano, and Warner Home Video’s Gary Miereanu presented attendees with exclusive clips from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two along with details on other upcoming 2013 titles.

In terms of upcoming DC Universe Animated Original Movie titles, coming Summer 2013 will be Superman: Unbound, adapting the “Superman: Brainiac” story written by Geoff Johns and originally printed in Action Comics. 2013 will wrap up with Justice League: Flashpoint in the Fall, adapting the controversial DC Comics mini-series Flashpoint which launched the current The New 52 continuity for the publisher.

The titles were announced after discussing the Winter/Early 2013 animated title Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two and answering panel questions. Timm noted he would love to return to the Beyond universe, and we will likely see famed comic writer Grant Morrison’s influence in upcoming titles. Miereanu confirmed the new DC Universe Animated Original Movie titles will continue into 2014 and beyond.

Also coming in Spring 2013 is the animated feature Lego Batman: DC Heroes Unite, based on the acclaimed Lego Batman video game franchise.

Concerning Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two, Warner Home Video has also announced comedian Conan O’Brien will voice a late-night talk show for the upcoming animated sequel. O’Brien will voice Dave Endochrine, who interviews The Joker after his release from Arkham in the feature. A co-production of Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two animated feature arrives Winter/Early 2013 on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Graeme McMillan wrote:Where next for Warner Bros' animated adaptations of DC Comics' storylines after this month's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2? Up, up and away, apparently, as White Collar's Matt Bomer voices the Man of Steel for this Spring's Superman: Unbound.

Based on Geoff Johns' "Brainiac" storyline from the writer's Action Comics run with artist Gary Frank, Superman: Unbound features Superman facing off against the alien who has traveled the universe, stealing cities from planets before their destruction. "He's the ultimate collector," explains the movie's director, Batman: The Brave and The Bold's James Tucker. "he says what he's doing is [in] the name of science and ultimate knowledge, but really he just wants stuff and he doesn't want anyone else to have access to it."

Talking to TV Guide, Tucker explained his admiration of Bomer's performance as everyone's favorite big blue boy scout. "He had a jovial energy that was a little counter to what we usually do with Superman," the director explained, "but he also had that decency in his voice that Superman really needs no matter which way you go with him." He was equally effusive in his praise of Fringe's John Noble, who voices Brainiac. "I could listen to him all day... [He] had a lot of energy and he really got into the psychology of what was motivating Brainiac. He brought a level of intelligence, but also that slight bit of crazy that a super villain needs to have under the surface to make him compelling."

Bomer and Noble aren't the only familiar voices in the cast; Castle's Stana Katic and Molly Quinn also show up, providing the voices for Lois Lane and Supergirl, respectively, in a subplot concerning Lois' relationship with Supergirl as the romance between Clark and Lois gets more serious.

Superman: Unbound will be released on DVD and Blu-ray later this year.

“Doing animation is great fun,” he said. “It’s like a different world; it’s all in the imagination. There’s not even pictures up there to look at. You go and you just create this voice, this character, and later on maybe you have a look at the pictures associated with it. For me, it’s a totally different process than doing a film or stage play or something, but I love it. It’s incredibly intense work, but I love doing voice-over work. At the end of the day, it’s a surprise to see a huge monster with your voice attached to it, but the two feel to me technically in different ball parks.”

Collider: Something that you guys do really well is DC Animated movies. Is there any possibility of taking a movie script that never got made, like a J.J. Abrams Superman, and taking that script or idea and making a DC Animated movie out of it?

Geoff Johns: There’s always a possibility. That’s not the first time that’s come up. There’s always discussions about what would be really cool to do.

Lucas Siegel wrote:Warner Bros. was tight-lipped at the War premiere as to what exactly the new film would be, other than to say it would have "Aquaman" in the title, and while it still currently doesn’t have a title we can confirm, Newsarama has learned the film will likey be something of a New 52 origin story for Aquaman, meaning sources tell us at the start of the film he won’t know much, if anything, about his connection to Atlantis, his place in their royal family, and his destiny to be their king.

DC's Next Animated Film Will Be JUSTICE LEAGUE: THRONE OF ATLANTISWhile it may not have lived up to the previous DC animated flicks, Justice League: War was a hit with most fans, allowing DC to restart their animated properties. And now, as teased in the film's after credits scene, the sequel will pit Superman and co against the Atlanteans.

Mark "RorMachine" Cassidy wrote:Here's what we've just learned from the Batman: Assault On Arkham panel at SDCC: DC/WB's next animated feature films will be Batman VS. Robin, which will also feature the Court Of Owls, and an original story by Bruce Timm who'll also return to direct -- Justice League: Gods And Monsters. Now as anyone who's read Scott Snyder's Court Of Owls arc will know, Batman and Robin don't square off in the story (although there is a bit of tension between he and Nightwing) so this will probably be either an original story featuring Talon and the Court Of Owls, or just a very loose adaptation. The next movie is Gods And Monsters, and will definitely be an original, which Bruce Timm will write and direct. We're fresh out of details on 'em for now, but please speculate in the usual place.

Dan Wickline wrote:Though there were many large announcements at the convention last weekend, the one that will make most DC Animation fans smile is that Bruce Timm is returning. The co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series has agreed to direct the upcoming Justice League: Gods And Monsters original movie. Reports say this is an original story from Timm and has nothing to do with the 2001 comic JLA: Gods And Monsters by Dan Jolley and Josh Krach.

The new Timm lead Justice League movie will come after the soon to be released Batman: Assault On Arkham, the currently in production Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis and the newly announced Batman Vs. Robin.

Batman Vs Robin is loosely based on Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s recent Batman: The Court Of Owls and is a follow up to the previously released Son Of Batman animated movie.

Update – We are getting conflicting word about the above story. James Tucker, supervising producer of DC Animation has claimed the above information is a misquote in these following tweets. Most comic/entertainment sites seem to have picked up on this misquoted story (including us).

So what we know now is that Batman Vs Robin is in continuity with Son Of Batman but has nothing to do with the Court Of Owls and Justice League: Gods And Monsters is an original story by Alan Burnett and directed by Sam Liu.

Rich Johnston wrote:It’s always fun when you write one piece of gossip (such as Geoff Johns moving back from two to one monthly comic, orders from above) and have some of it confirmed (DC creators bitching amongst themselves about Geoff Johns choosing his own comics to see turned into DVT over others) and have others denied.

Such that Geoff is, as well as writing Justice League, working on a Shazam ongoing series with his Earth One Batman and Shazam backup strips artist Gary Frank (bring back Kin, Gary!)

And an Aquaman mini-series- either Mera or Rise Of The Seven Seas – with his previous Aquaman and Justice League artist Joe Prado – though possibly without inker Ivan Reis….

Meagan Damore wrote:It's official: "Justice League Dark" is going to become an animated film. At the "Batman: The Killing Joke" premiere at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Gary Miereanu named three new DC Comics animated films, including "Justice League Dark."

Additionally, he announced "Teen Titans: The Judas Contact," which will debut next spring, as well as "The Joker and Harley Quinn: A Bruce Timm Original," which arrives next summer.

Bill Watters wrote:As was a lifelong fan of comics, he spoke of Batman as always having been his favorite character. He did have the opportunity to act in comics as the DC comics supervillain, the Weather Wizard, in both animated form (Superman (1996)) and live-action (Justice League of America (1997)).

Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced the adaptation of the iconic death and return of the Superman as two separate feature-length animated movies.

Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con Friday night, Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen will follow an adaptation of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, and the original Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.

DC describes Gotham by Gaslight as "An adaptation of the popular 1989 tale that introduced us to a Victorian Era Dark Knight who was in pursuit of Jack the Ripper.

"Written by Brian Augustyn and drawn by Mike Mignola of Hellboy fame, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is largely considered to be the very first 'Elseworlds' tale. At 48 pages, the original comic is relatively slim, meaning the movie version will offer an expanded version of the story, something that’s sure to delight fans of its cobblestone-paved world."

That will be followed in spring 2018 by Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, the first Suicide Squad movie set within the DC Universe Original Movies’ shared continuity.

DC notes that Batman: Assault on Arkham, the 2014 movie that featured the Suicide Squad was set within the Arkham video game continuity.

Hell to Pay will feature an original story and what’s promised to be "an amazing, though sadly not-yet-revealed, voice cast."

ater in 2018 will be Death of Superman.

"Adapting the legendary story of Superman’s fatal battle with Doomsday, this will actually be the second DC Universe Original Movie to adapt the material," says DC. "The first, 2007’s Superman: Doomsday, was the very first DC Universe Original Movie and greatly condensed and altered the original comic book event to fit within its 75-minute running time. The upcoming adaptation will be more faithful to the source material, much less condensed and will include many of the fan-favorite moments from the story that were left out of Doomsday."

Finally, in early 2019, Reign of the Supermen, completes the two-part adaptation.

"While we’ll have to wait for an official synopsis to learn all of the details, that name should be a familiar one to Superman fans and suggests we’ll be seeing the rise of the Superman alternates that took his place during the year after his death. (For those unfamiliar with the story, they were Steel, Cyborg Superman, Superboy and the Last Son of Krypton.) This part of the Death and Return of Superman was greatly simplified in Doomsday, which instead featured a single alternate Superman rather than the four we saw in the comics."